Israel attacked Gaza shelters -----UN report
At least 44 Palestinians were killed by "Israeli
actions" while sheltering at seven United Nations schools during last
summer's war in Gaza, a UN inquiry has found.
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said he deplored the deaths
and stressed that UN facilities were "inviolable," reports BBC.
The inquiry also found that three empty UN schools were used
by Palestinian militants to store weapons, and that in two cases they likely
fired from them.
The 50-day conflict claimed the lives of more than 2,260
people.
At least 2,189 were Palestinians, including more than 1,486
civilians, according to the UN. On the Israeli side, 67 soldiers were killed
along with six civilians. 'Utmost gravity'
In November, Mr Ban announced that an independent board of
inquiry would look into 10 incidents at schools run by the UN agency for
Palestine refugees, Unrwa, between 8 July and 26 August 2014.
Both Israel and Hamas, the militant group that dominates
Gaza, said they would co-operate with the probe headed by the retired Dutch
general Patrick Cammaert.
Although the board of inquiry's full 207-page report will
remain private, the UN released a summary of its findings on Monday.
In one incident, a girls' school was hit by 88 mortar rounds
fired by the Israeli military, the summary said. Another girls' school was
struck by an anti-tank projectile, while a third was hit by a missile.
At a fourth girls' school, the inquiry found, "no prior
warning had been given by the government of Israel of the firing of 155mm high
explosive projectiles on, or in the surrounding area of the school".
"It is a matter of the utmost gravity that those who
looked to them for protection and who sought and were granted shelter there had
their hopes and trust denied," Mr Ban wrote in a cover letter accompanying
the summary.
He also expressed dismay that Palestinian militant groups
would put UN schools at risk by using them to hide arms.
The report found that weapons were stored at three schools,
although they were not being used as shelters at the time. The inquiry found
that Palestinian militants had probably fired from two schools, which Mr Ban
said was "unacceptable".
"United Nations premises are inviolable and should be
places of safety, particularly in a situation of armed conflict," he
warned. "I will work with all concerned and spare no effort to ensure that
such incidents will never be repeated."
A spokesman for the Israeli foreign ministry, Emmanuel
Nahshon, said in response: "All of the incidents attributed by the report
to Israel have already been subject to thorough examinations, and criminal
investigations have been launched where relevant."
"Israel makes every effort to avoid harm to sensitive
sites, in the face of terrorist groups who are committed not only to targeting
Israeli civilians but also to using Palestinian civilians and UN facilities as
shields for their terrorist activities."
There was no immediate comment from Hamas or the Palestinian
Authority.
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